


rage, rage against the dying of the light

by rossettes



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Code Geass Fusion, Dialogue Heavy, Gen, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-26 05:09:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20736728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rossettes/pseuds/rossettes
Summary: The media calls him a bloodthirsty terrorist. A leader of an arsonist group that breathes the fires of Hell. He’s a mystery, a dangerous one, and the sworn enemy of the man Galo has sworn to protect.But when their eyes meet on the day of his execution, all Galo can see is the light of an incendiary chosen by the Burnish; a revolutionary born from the ashes of his brothers.





	rage, rage against the dying of the light

**Author's Note:**

> me: hey look another leader of a freedom fighter group with robots  
johnny yong bosch: hey im voicing lio  
me: LELOUCH????

Galo stares at the mask that hides the leader of the Mad Burnish. An obnoxious sharp-tooth grin covers the majority of its face, turning into blazing horns as they extend further from the mask. Pink and blue fires dance around the man, illuminating the room with a soft glow in the darkness of the night. They should be burning him, Galo thinks, before glancing away and watching as a child clings to her mother. He rubs at his wrists, light without the familiar weight of his handcuffs. He misses their grounding presence, and the ignorance that they granted him.

“It looks like they treated you badly,” the masked man says, perched on his throne of thorns. “Now you know what they’re really like. The lot of them, all rotten to the core. Kray Foresight, above them all. We must burn them to the ground, like how they burned us Burnish. Join me, Galo Thymos. We can change this society and rebuild a nation with a better future from its ashes!”

His voice is distorted in a way that makes him sound almost robotic, if not for the pure charisma seeping every syllable spoken. If he were a lesser man, perhaps Galo would have worshiped him. “I don’t even know your name.”

The leader of the Mad Burnish leans forward as he props his chin on a gloved hand. He studies Galo like a scientist dissecting a specimen. The Burnish around him watches, eyes gleaming with a sense of pride at their only hope’s confidence.

“My name is Lio Fotia. You best remember it, Galo Thymos, for I am the one who planned your beloved Governor’s assassination.”

The silence is resounding.

“You didn’t even kill him,” Galo mutters. “And better yet, you put all those civilizations in danger! You don’t get to choose who lives and who dies!” Somewhere a child cries. Inside of him, Galo mourns for their future.

Lio scoffs behind his mask, “He lives for now. A battle lost, a war won. We Burnish do not kill unless forced to. Your people are safe, my firesonly burn those who deserve to.”

Galo calms at the admission, but remains miffed at the attempt on Governor Kray’s life. “But you used them as a threat?”

A shrug. “Call it a bluff. It was an exchange; their safety for your freedom. I got you out of there, did I not? You should be grateful.”

“Instead I’m imprisoned here, with a terrorist group that sets buildings on fire like a child lighting sparklers. I wouldn’t call it the best of trade-offs,” Galo says.

The flame on Lio’s mask intensifies, spreading further around the room until the steady flicker of a flare becomes a suffocating illuminous blaze. Around them, people start whispering.

“The Promepolis you serve is a worthless cause. A society that does not produce good should be cut down and burned, Galo. You wish to live in a world filled of segregation and hate? Of fear and deception?” Their leader shakes, full of rage and contempt. “Our anger is justified! My brothers are captured and turned into living fuel for your Governor! You expect me to sit back and watch as my people are burnt to ashes for your corrupt nation?”

“Maybe that’s true,” Galo whispers, more to himself than Lio, “but what you’re doing is wrong! I can save it and turn it into a worthy nation from within!”

“Change it?” Lio asks. The fire recedes back to his throne, shrouding him like a mantle. “Don’t make me laugh. With what power?”

“My own! Because I think the end is just as worthless if the means to it are wrong! It is my duty and honor as a member of Burning Rescue to put the lives of the civilians first. My soul will not rest until I save them all, Burnish or not.” Galo turns, facing the starless sky as Lio leaps to his feet, flames following him.

“Where are you going?” he asks, walking towards Galo. The Burnish part like the Red Sea for their leader.

“My court martial begins in an hour. I need to get dressed.”

“Are you mad?” Lio shouts. “Everyone in there, they’re framing you! You’re just another life they’ll sacrifice for their greater good! Another body for their fire!” They’re face to face now, and Galo can’t help but feel amazed at the sight of a fire so alive. If he were a lesser man, truly.

“But that’s the rules. I have to follow them, as a citizen of Promepolis. If I don’t go, they’ll just grab a random Burnish off the streets and frame them again,” he rests a hand on Lio’s shoulder. They’re small. They must be around the same age, Galo guesses. An incendiary, and a firefighter. It must have been fate. “That would set back your revolution, wouldn’t it?”

The leader of the Mad Burnish tenses. “You’ll die there,” he whispers. “You’ll die for them?”

“I won’t.” Galo grins. “Tell you what,” his hand slips from Lio’s shoulders, “I’ll get through this and capture you properly next time. Then, you can be my prisoner instead!” He laughs, turning to march towards his impending death. He can hear the funeral bells already, or perhaps it’s just Lio whispering a quiet insult under his breath.

“Even so, thank you. For saving me. I didn’t think anyone would at that point,” Galo says, turning back to face the leader of the Mad Burnish. He watches the flames dance again, but they seem somber this time. Like they're mourning the death of a friend. “And even if I don’t survive, I’d rather die than live a lie.”

“You are a fool, Galo Thymos.”

He hopes the next time he sees Lio Fotia, he won’t be hiding under a mask that’s too heavy to bear.

Perhaps they could have been friends, if they were better men.

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this at 2 am actually because i could NOT go to sleep until i got this out of my system. i havent written anything for long that it actually felt cathartic. i have another version of this story actually where lio actually breaks galo out of prison but it started getting too crack-y that i scrapped it and focused on their dialogue instead 
> 
> quotes taken from code geass r1 episode 4 and various promare ost lyrics
> 
> tldr;  
lio: bro i just saved ur ass. u wouldve been dead like my brothers  
galo: haha sorry about ur bros but im Different


End file.
